2 min readThe Nintendo Switch has earned its place in history as one of the most popular and successful gaming consoles of all time, but if even half the hype attached to the Nintendo's next handheld is matched by the reality then the Switch 2 might be an even bigger deal.
While the price and release date of the Switch 2 are the biggest questions on the minds of those itching to buy the new device, the next most important one is what games will be available for the console.
At the time of writing, there's only one game that we know for sure is coming to the new Nintendo Switch 2 and that's the next Mario Kart. Although the latest installment in Nintendo's bestselling kart racing franchise doesn't yet have an official title (though given that it is following in the footsteps of Mario Kart 8, it's not a huge stretch to imagine it'll be called Mario Kart 9), it was shown off in the Switch 2 reveal. You can see it for yourself in the video embedded below.
Since long before the Switch 2 was made official back in January 2025, speculation has been rife about what games Nintendo might look to release alongside the new console. The most obvious of these is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Originally announced in 2017, the first-person science-fiction adventure game is slated to release on the Switch sometime in 2015. Given Nintendo's long history of launching first-party games that straddle the line between hardware generations (See: Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword), it's fairly likely that Metroid Prime 4 will follow in this precedent and be available on both the original Switch and the new Switch 2. Other rumoured games that Nintendo is said to be working on for the Switch 2 include:
In addition to the above, there's also a long list of both released and unreleased third-party titles that some have speculated will be ported to the new handheld. That list includes:
Yes, though there might be a few exceptions. Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 would offer backward compatibility before they even disclosed the name of the hardware.
Back In November 2024, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa broke the news in an abrupt post via Twitter.
When the company officially unveiled the Switch 2 in January 2025, a small caveat to this capability came to light. According to Nintendo, some Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.
We'll have to wait and see what that devil in the details means, but given the shift in form factor, the most popular bet at this stage is releases like LABO or other games that relied on specific hardware within the original Switch might be incompatible.
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